Before 1997, we were used to having the usual 4 terrestrial television channels in the UK – BBC1, BB2, ITV and Channel 4 – but in 1997 Channel 5 burst onto our screens. Well, some of our screens – despite a huge effort by companies such as this TV aerial repair Gloucester company, some people were not able to get Channel 5 on its launch day.
Channel 5 was launched on Easter Sunday that year – 30th March. The channel was launched in true 90s style by the Spice Girls who performed a version on Manfred Mann’s 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It then went on to show 30 minutes of trailers for upcoming programs, and then of course the first advertisement shown was for Chanel number 5!
The first program to be shown on Channel 5 was their soap, Family affairs. Set in the fictional Charnham, the soap ran until 2005 when it was agreed that it had ‘run its course’.
Despite arriving on televisions in 1997, the 5th terrestrial TV channel had actually been in the making for a decade. It was way back in 1987 that the idea was first discussed in Government, and in 1988 it was recommended that there should be a fifth terrestrial channel.
In 2002, the ‘channel’ was dropped, and it was re-branded simply as ‘Five’. Channel 5 is possibly the most controversial as the 5 channels, featuring adult entertainment, as well as shows like can’t pay we’ll take it away.
